The Chhattisgarh

Tag: Zimbabwe

  • Suryakumar Yadav misses top spot in ICC T20I batsman rankings; This Australian Batter Holds Number 1 Position | Cricket News

    Star batter Suryakumar Yadav stayed put on second position in the latest ICC Men’s T20I batting rankings, which also features Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made significant progress following his exploits in the ongoing away series against Zimbabwe. Suryakumar is placed second with 821 rating points behind Australia’s Travis Head, who has 844 rating points. Phil Salt of England is paced third with 797 points, ahead of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (755), Mohammad Rizwan (746) and Jos Buttler (716). Gaikwad has gained 13 places to climb to the seventh spot in the rankings on the back of a stellar 77 not out off 47 balls in a comprehensive 100-run win for India in the second T20I against Zimbabwe.

    With most of India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024-winning squad rested for the Zimbabwe tour, the five-game series has allowed India’s back-up players to showcase their talent, and with the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, the upcoming players can make a good case for a regular place in the side.

    Apart from Gaikwad, Rinku Singh and Abhishek Sharma also made solid gains among the India batters. Rinku, who was among the reserves for the T20 World Cup, jumped four places to reach the 39th spot on the back of an attacking 48 not out from 22 balls in the second T20I.

    And after a duck in the first game, all-rounder Abhishek smashed a stunning 100 from just 47 balls in the second game. With this spectacular knock, he entered the rankings for the first time at 75th spot.

    Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett gained 25 places to finish at the 96th position courtesy of his two attacking cameos, making 22 off 15 and 26 off nine in the two matches. In the bowlers’ T20I chart, left-arm spinner Axar Patel dropped two places to be the lone Indian in top-10 at the ninth position with 644 rating points.

    Fellow left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav also dropped three places to the 11th spot, while T20 World Cup’s player-of-the-tournament Jasprit Bumrah also slid two rungs to 14th position.

    Besides, there were some movements in the top 10 positions of the bowling rankings, with Adam Zampa (7th), Fazalhaq Farooqi (8th), and Maheesh Theekshana (10th) gaining positions.

    India’s Ravi Bishnoi, with his six scalps in the first two games against Zimbabwe, jumped eight places to move to the 14th spot. Blessing Muzarabani also gained eight positions after the first two matches, up to 55th, with his spell of 1/17 instrumental in Zimbabwe winning the first T20I.

    India vice-captain Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, dropped a place to the second position in the T20I all-rounders’ rankings. Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka moved to pole position. India’s Washington Sundar entered the top 50 on the back of his quickfire 27 in the first game, as well as his three wickets in two outings. Axar is placed 12th in the all-rounders’ rankings.

  • PSL 2024: Babar Azam Called ‘Zimbabar’ By Fan; Angry Batter Threatens To Hit Him With Bottle; Watch | cricket news

    Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam lost his cool during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024 as he was poked by fans calling him ‘Zimbabar’. The Peshawar Zalmi skipper did not take the comments lightly and threatened to throw a water bottle at the fans who were poking. Babar was seen riled up for a second but he got himself together after looking agitated by the troll comments by the fans.

    Watch the video here:

    Kalesh b/w Babar Azam And One of guy from Crowd over he was Calling him “Zimbabar” during PSL match pic.twitter.com/mtR99WDmoW Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) February 24, 2024

    Why Was He Called Zimbabar?

    Babar Azam burst onto the international cricket scene in 2015, showcasing immense talent and promise as a batsman for Pakistan. Initially hailed as a potential successor to Virat Kohli’s dominance in world cricket, Babar was anticipated to excel across all formats of the game. However, in recent years, he has faced criticism for his inconsistent performances, particularly in crucial matches for Pakistan. (Will CSK Captain MS Dhoni Retire After IPL 2024? Here’s What We Know)

    While he continues to shine in less pressure-intensive or inconsequential games, his inability to deliver during pivotal moments has tarnished his reputation. Fans on social media often troll him for scoring runs against weaker teams when he gets out early against big teams like Australia, England, etc.

    Recent Controversy In PCB

    Former Pakistan all-rounder and Director of Cricket Mohammed Hafeez slammed ex-director of Cricket Mickey Arthur and ex-skipper Babar Azam for not paying attention to the fitness levels of the team.

    Recently, Hafeez was removed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) from his position following a clean sweep loss to Australia in a three-Test series Down Under and another loss to New Zealand in the five-match T20I series. He was appointed as the Director of Cricket just after Arthur’s tenure ended following a mixed-bag Cricket World Cup campaign in India.

    Speaking to ARY Sports Channel, Hafeez said, “When I took over as director (in 2023) and we reached Australia, I told the team trainer to give me a report on the players’ fitness standards and prepare a new fitness regimen.”

    “He told me that the former captain (Babar) and head coach (Arthur) had told him six months ago that fitness is not the priority at the moment and let the players play as they wanted,” added the former all-rounder.

    Hafeez asserted that fitness is a modern-day priority for all cricket teams. He said that the body fat levels of players were checked and skin folds of players were high, mostly 1.5 times the accepted limit.

    “Fitness in modern-day cricket is a top priority for all teams,” said Hafeez. (PSL 2024: Hawk-Eye Issues Apology To PCB Following Mistake Which Cost Islamabad United A Loss Against Quetta Gladiator)

    “When the fat levels of the players were checked, the skin fold of all of them was high – for most players it was 1.5 times the limit. They were unfit and some of them couldn’t complete a 2 KM trial run. You will suffer defeats if the fitness is like that,” he concluded. Pakistan’s next assignment is a tour to England in May this year, during which four T20Is were played. (With ANI inputs)